Pamela Kea

Pamela Kea is a Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex. She holds a BA in French literature from Smith College, an M.Sc. in Social Anthropology from UCL, and a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London (2001). Her academic career includes roles as a research officer at The Gender Institute (LSE), associate tutor at The Open University, and ESRC postdoctoral research fellow (2004–2005).

• Education:
  • BA, French Literature, Smith College
  • M.Sc., Social Anthropology, UCL
  • Ph.D., Social Anthropology, SOAS, London

Research Interests: Kea’s work spans four key areas: (1) Gendered agrarian relations in West Africa, focusing on Senegambian female migration and land-labor exchange; (2) Asylum and displacement, examining EU policies and Gambian female asylum seekers; (3) Return migration and visual culture, analyzing transnational care through photography and ICT; and (4) Biographies and reparative histories, exploring West African diasporas’ return, digital colonialism, and archival recovery.

Scientific Awards:

• ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2004–2005)

Teaching & Supervision: Kea teaches modules on Gender Across Cultures, Race and Identity, International Development, and Childhood/Youth studies. Her current DPhil students include Vitor Lopez (asylum and sexual orientation), Xinran Zhou (Confucianism and Chinese feminism), Cassie Biggs (male teachers in Malawi), and Alexis Stills (Ghanaian diaspora mental health). Recent graduates include Harriet Hughes (fashion in Africa) and Katrin Maier (Nigerian Pentecostalism).